The University of St Andrews has been awarded nearly £4 million by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council to carry out a range of pioneering research projects.

The funding, from the Research Development Grant scheme, will be injected into four St Andrews led ventures, some of which are collaborative.

The largest grant, £1.4 million, goes to the St Andrews Centre for Advanced Materials which will be the focal point for several cutting-edge research programmes, providing a unique and vital facility for existing Scottish industry and acting as a magnet for the attraction of new industrial investment.

Meanwhile, Professor Paul Boyle has been awarded £800,000 for the Scottish Centre for Longitudinal Population Studies which will be the first research centre in Scotland specifically designed to undertake and support longitudinal population analysis. A joint research initiative with the University of Dundee, the project also involves input from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Professor Thomas F Krauss has been awarded for £680,000 for the St Andrews Laboratory for Microfabrication of Optical Nanostructures (SALMON) which will combine the expertise in semiconductor physics and surface chemistry at St Andrews with that in materials science at Dundee.

In addition, £820,000 has been awarded for the Centre for Conservation Science. A joint venture with the University of Stirling, the Centre will use sophisticated risk analysis techniques to help resolve ongoing debates about key Scottish environmental issues.

Acting Principal of the University, Professor Colin Vincent said, “For a small but research intensive University, we are delighted to have attracted such a large percentage of the Scottish Research Development Grant funding package which underlines our outstanding record in both research and teaching. It is particularly encouraging to be building strong links with our fellow institutions, which will lead to countless benefits for the next generation of students”.

ENDS

Issued by Beattie Media on behalf of the University of St Andrews For more information please contact Claire Grainger on 01334 462530, 07730 415 015 or email cg24@st-andrews.ac.uk Ref: rdg’s/standrews/chg/22june2000